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Part III. — Seventh Annual Report 



1880. — Official statistics for five years show the following losses in the 

 fisheries of Spain 1874-79 :— 



Department of Cartagena . . 63 men 25 boats. 

 „ Cadiz . . . . 32 „ 11 „ 

 Ferrol (north) . . 520 „ 84 „ 



61 5 men and 120 boats. 



So far as can be ascertained in 1878, in the Fisheries of Spain there 

 were employed 78,184 men; 66,242 afloat, and 11,942 in fishery and 

 curing establishments. The total value of all the material is calculated 

 at 22,342,319 pesetas (say £931,000), of which 7,149,278 are in the 

 establishments and curing places, and 15,193,041 in the boats and gear, 

 including in the last those in the service of the establishments. 



Congers. — In the district of Corunna the conger eels taken were so very 

 small that it was proposed to limit the size of the hooks ; but it was finally 

 decided that this would interfere too much with the fishery, and so they 

 prohibit the capture or sale of any conger less than 50 centimetres long. 

 They are taken up to 100 kilos and 2 metres in length in the ocean, but 

 generally they run from 15 to 20 kilos. 



Bait. — Conger bait used in Galicia ; sardine in Cantabria as in France 

 (pulpo, la gibia, el calamar), 3 species of Cephalopods ; the great earthworm, 

 of which like the eel the conger is extremely fond ; also young of the sole, 

 of the flounder and small fish ; and above all de la escjuilla {Cancer squilla, 

 L.) is a bait which is appetising; also shell-fish, particularly the mussel, 

 and even crabs of whatever species. 



This year they acknowledge the little progress made with oyster culture, 

 and assert the necessity of means to apply the stringent rules made in the 

 different localities, as the shell fish merchants pay no attention to them. 

 A chart of the Model Oyster Farm is given, with the result of the first spat- 

 ting season added. 



A proposal to use fire-arms in the pursuit of the dolphin produces a 

 curious discussion. These cetacea come in such multitudes in the pursuit 

 of the sardine in the north of Spain, that it was proposed to kill them 

 with fire arms, arming special vessels for the purpose. But it was decided 

 that the use of fire-arms would be most prejudicial to the sardine fishery, 

 these fish being readily alarmed ; and that the dolphins were not themselves 

 altogether injurious, as their assaults drove the sardines into the mouths of 

 the rivers. Fire-arms were consequently entirely prohibited. 



1885 (from 1879-84). — The Prologue deplores continued decadence of 

 Spanish fisheries, the non-success of the prohibitions of small mesh-net in 

 the Mar Menor in order to save the young of the mullet — as it also saved 

 a small fish which mainly preyed upon these young, and so the fishing did 

 not recuperate — and continues to deplore want of proper police. Many 

 of the oyster banks, for which grants have been made, are doing well and 

 selling quantities. A very exhaustive statement and description of the 

 various draw-nets in use in Spain, and the comparative injury caused by 

 them, is given, from which we should have wished to jquote extensively, 

 had our space permitted. The great net called Arte del Bou, that fishes 

 with two vessels to a depth of 120 fathoms on the coasts of Morocco and 

 off Valencia, is looked upon as the most injurious, and being so, 'it falls 

 'to place more restrictions on its use, prohibiting it in certain places, 

 4 establishing and enforcing the seasons of close time, and reducing the zones 

 ( in which it may work ; but, while imposing severe penalties on trans- 

 ' gressors, by no means absolutely prohibiting the fishery.' This modifies 

 the former entire denunciation. 



